“Me know,” replied Deerfoot shortly. He did not like to have his statements questioned, and immediately lapsed into silence. He ignored any further remarks on the subject made by either of the brothers, and busied himself in his preparations for the meal.
He quickly brought dried birch logs from inside the cabin and a moment later had a cheerful fire blazing. The wood he used did not smoke, so that any danger on that score was removed. As soon as the fire was well under way he seized the captured duck, holding it by its head with one hand and by its feet with the other. A moment later all of its feathers were singed off by the fire and he soon had the wild fowl skillfully prepared for cooking.
Before long a splendid bed of coals had collected and in these Deerfoot placed the fish. The duck he spitted on a sharp stick and soon the savory smell of cooking food reminded the young pioneers how hungry they were. When the perch were done they were rolled in corn meal and quickly disappeared down the throats of the three fugitives. When the duck was eaten and the fire extinguished they settled back against the side of the cabin, feeling very much at peace with the world, in spite of their precarious position.
“Not dark for long while,” said Deerfoot. “Boys better sleep.”
“What?” exclaimed Joseph. “You don’t think we can sleep all the time, do you? I feel as if I never wanted to sleep again.”
“You feel different tomorrow maybe.”
“That may be so, but I can’t sleep now, that’s sure. How do you feel, Bob?”
“Entirely slept out,” replied Robert, his remark followed by a yawn, however.
All three lapsed into silence while they scanned the surrounding landscape and wished for the coming of night. The quiet of the swamp was undisturbed save for the occasional call of a wild fowl or a splash caused by the jump of a fish. The wind blowing gently through the trees and rushes furnished a drowsy hum as a background to the other noises. As far as one could judge from appearances in the swamp, all the world was at peace. Little would anyone suspect that the three men on the tiny island had been forced to seek that refuge because of hostile Indians.
“Where is Black Hawk’s village?” asked Joseph suddenly.